


We'll Meet Again

by Kaoru_chibimaster



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alternate Universe, Crossover, F/F, Older Characters, Older Iris, Phantom Brave - Freeform, not super heavy on shipping but it's there, rarepairsweek
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-10
Updated: 2017-07-09
Packaged: 2018-11-30 03:45:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,499
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11455296
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kaoru_chibimaster/pseuds/Kaoru_chibimaster
Summary: She'd planned for it to be a simple solo job. But plans have a funny knack for going awry.





	We'll Meet Again

**Author's Note:**

> The prompt said FF crossover AU and I’m assuming that means crossing FFXV over with another Final Fantasy, but since the prompts don’t have to be followed exactly I wanted to try something different. This is more heavily influenced by Phantom Brave rather than being an outright crossover. The world is a mixture of Ivoire and Lucis. ~~Also I haven’t played Phantom Brave in forever so a lot of this is from memory and my memory sucks I still can’t remember what I ate for breakfast yesterday~~

_“Now, I’m telling you Iris.”_

_Iris fought hard not to roll her eyes at her father’s tone. It was slowly becoming a losing battle._

_“I know you’ve been fighting demons for over a decade now. I know you’ve already become a full-fledged Chroma.” Clarus gave his daughter a knowing look then. “And I_ know _you’ve heard this conversation a thousand times. But this is the first job you’ll be taking on your own. I want you to be careful.”_

_Clarus sat back in his seat, tired and stressed. He actually looked his age for once, a concerning observation to Iris who was used to her father’s boundless energy. She couldn’t help but also feel a little guilty that she was likely the cause._

_“This isn’t just any bounty you’re hunting,” he continued. “Wraiths are dangerous creatures and more and more of them are starting to pop up.”_

_He looked contemplative then. A bad sign for Iris. She mentally prepared herself for a potential argument._

_“I ought to send Gladiolus with you.”_

_There it was._

_“Daddy, you can’t be serious. This is my first chance to go out there and prove how capable I am without a team, and you want to send my brother after me? Doesn’t Gladdy have better things to do anyway?”_

_Like getting married for one. Iris wasn’t going to be the one to mess up his wedding plans, the ones she already had a large part in, just so Gladiolus could babysit her. Her! A twenty five year old woman! No, she wasn’t letting this one slide._

_“Seriously, I don’t need help from Gladdy. Or anyone else,” she added after practically sensing her father’s next offer to send Noctis or Ignis after her instead. “I know what sort of demon I’m up against. I’ll be prepared.”_

_She had made sure of that. Her boat money was ready, her food and lodging money secured, and rations tucked away in her light luggage. She carried no weapons. She needed none. That was the privilege of being an Amicitia Chroma. A family of strong fighters, generation after generation. She wouldn’t fail her family legacy. And certainly not on her first solo job._

_Clarus, unfortunately, still seemed skeptical._

_“Take no offense, Iris. I don’t doubt your skills. But none of us have fought creatures of this caliber before. You say you’re prepared, but are you truly? There are some situations that no amount of preparation can truly ready you for.”_

A week into her journey and Iris was starting to feel the weight of her father’s words. Having gotten used to taking on jobs with her older brother and his group of friends (her friends as well, really), she was entirely unaccustomed to travelling alone. She wasn’t without small comforts, what with the money she’d earned on previous jobs sustaining her, but those would run out fast if she didn’t reach her destination soon. Out in the far reaches of Ivoire, she would find her target. A Wraith. A demon, and a powerful one at that.

Unfortunately, this meant multiple boat rides, a trek through Terra Firma to resupply, and then hopping yet another boat to the dreaded Island of Evil. Despite the cheesy name, it was well earned. The number of Chroma disappearances there were more than alarming and demonic activity was at its highest on the island. Iris would have to constantly be on her guard, even more so than usual. Not that it helped that she found herself frequently running into lesser demons along the way. She found her resources depleting faster than they should just trying to fight her way through the landmass. Really it seemed ridiculous how most of the populace stayed so far inland, though she supposed it made sense considering the number of dangerous creatures she’d run into. Despite the presence of Chroma on Terra Firma as well, clearly not many of them were taking jobs on their own homeland. A shame, really. They’d probably make plenty of money off of their own demon infestation.

And that meant less of them in Iris’ way. Something she really could have used by this point.

She’d taken to camping out just to avoid wasting any more money on an inn. She was already spending enough on food, her rations having easily disappeared within the week. And though she lamented the lack of comfort that came with a real bed, she at least had the benefit of learning how to tough it out in the wild from her older brother. His over-fondness for camping might have gotten annoying at times, but it had taught Iris valuable lessons. Like how to pitch a tent. Or how to hunt for food. That might have ended up coming in handy sooner or later at the rate Iris was going. Honestly, she hadn’t seen one sign of even the existence of the wraith and she was already starting to hate it just from the amount of hassle it was causing her.

The compounding of issues had started to wear on Iris as well. It was more than a little stressful finding herself dragged into fights frequently, and though she could deal with the camping on a normal day, every day the entire past week was spent crawling onto a bed roll in complete exhaustion. She reserved a special show of gratitude for the gods every time she happened across a haven.

And speaking of…

Iris made a beeline for the soft blue glow she saw pulsing off in the distance. It was just a matter of time too, as the sky had started darkening only an hour before and she was quickly losing precious sunlight. The most dangerous of creatures tended to show up at night and Iris had neither the energy nor the patience to put up with them. And she could admit to herself she was rather scared to find herself in a fight in the dead of night with no one to watch her back. No, there was really no choice but to head for the haven. Hefting her bag with her (only one large duffel bag which was the main reason behind the food shortage as she really had no room for anything other than her clothes and her bedroll…unfortunately she’d forgone the tent) she jogged in the direction of the glowing runes. Around her, the sounds of life echoed in her ears. Birds called from the trees and the soft thumps of hoof-falls were heard amongst the grass. Iris strained her ears for howling or snarling, not willing to be caught off guard or distracted. Nothing so far. Only the sounds of animals; not a demon in sight. She’d take her luck for what it was.

The haven itself was nestled in the trees, just at the border of a small forest. Iris immediately set to work searching for branches to start a fire with. While the runes kept demons away, they did little for more natural predators. The fire would be her best bet at warding those away. She lamented sadly that she wouldn’t really be able to use it for cooking, having taken as little cooking ingredients as possible and no utensils beyond the most basic, and instead settled for pulling a sandwich out of her bag. She’d bought it off of a vendor in one of the villages, having given in to the grumbling of her stomach and splurging a bit. It was half-finished already but it would have to do. Iris wasn’t sure just how much longer it would take to reach her target and couldn’t afford to not have food for not only the rest of the way there but the journey back as well. She’d have to hope and pray that the heat of Terra Firma didn’t spoil any of it as well. Judging by how cold her clothes felt now that the sweat from the day’s sun had started to dry in the night breeze, it was likely a vain hope. She would wake up the next morning fried up in the early sunlight and then spend the rest of the day cooking slowly in her own perspiration. Just as she had all week prior.

Sighing, dreading the next day and wishing for her trip to magically speed itself along, she lit the fire with a match, set up her bed roll and climbed into it, finishing up her sandwich before rolling over onto her side and quickly falling asleep.

She dreamt that she heard someone singing. It sounded like her mother’s voice. A nice, comforting dream. Though she saw nothing but an empty expanse at first, the dream slowly blossomed into a multitude of colors. Formless, shapeless…just a backdrop to the sounds barely registering in Iris’ subconscious. The singing then faded away, replaced by talking. A low, calm murmur of words. A voice she didn’t recognize, though it seemed nonthreatening. Just a soft, quiet continuous stream of…words.

Iris opened her eyes slowly, blinking as the sunlight assaulted her vision. The talking hadn’t stopped. In fact, it had slowly gotten clearer.

“—can’t even believe…really this is a mess…ought to find someone else to do the dirty work…”

It paused for a second as Iris shifted, groaning. The swishing of fabric was heard before clicking footsteps followed. A pair of boots appeared in Iris’ vision, blocking out the sun. Slowly, Iris rolled on her back, squinting up at a tall imposing figure. This figure, decidedly female, was mostly cast in shadow as the sun was right behind her. Only when she crouched down, was Iris able to see her face. And even then, only barely as it was covered by a draconic looking mask. Those eyes though…through the barred mask they watched her like a hawk.

The woman reached out to Iris, poking her in the shoulder with a sharp, clawed glove.

“You finally up girlie?”

Iris raised an eyebrow at that. Who exactly was this woman, poking at her and expecting her up? Dressed in dark, sharp armor that was clearly manufactured, perhaps even custom made considering Iris had never seen any soldiers wear anything like it, but the woman was covered in it. Armor like that was expensive, meaning she was either stinking rich or really important…or both. And judging by the rhythmic tapping of her foot, she didn’t seem to have the time to wait around for plain ol’ Iris to get up off her butt.

Which, quite frankly, was just plain odd to Iris who most certainly set out on this journey on her own.

Shifting slowly into an upright position, Iris kept her eyes trained on the mysterious woman, watching for any strange or sudden movements. It was more than a little worrying how she hadn’t woken up the moment her space had been invaded, especially by one so…decked out. As heavily armored as the woman was, and with a large weapon carried on her back to boot, she clearly wasn’t out on a stroll. She didn’t seem to mean Iris any harm, not that Iris would be letting her guard down either way, as she quickly stood back up, waiting for Iris with her hands at her hips. Iris didn’t bother to stand. Her short stature was as unintimidating as ever so holding a relaxed façade was the next best bet to catching any potential aggressor off guard. Let her enemies underestimate her. Now only to find out if this woman was indeed an enemy.

“You’re just gonna sit there? Burning daylight, aren’t you?” the woman scoffed. Iris frowned, confused.

“Who _are_ you?”

The woman ignored her question, walking over to the remains of the previous night’s fire. Now that Iris was awake, she started to look about her surroundings. They were decidedly not the way they had been left when she fell asleep. There were claw marks in the rock and Iris’ bag looked to have been torn apart. The armored woman reached down and picked up what was left of it.

“If you were trying to ward off the wild animals with that fire…it didn’t work.”

Now Iris stood, looking worriedly around her. If there was such a scuffle then how did she…? Well, she supposed she might have been tired enough not to wake up at the noises. But that certainly didn’t explain how she was alive.

“You’re lucky I was passing by on a stroll,” the woman continued, swinging the shredded bag by its strap. “You would’ve been puppy chow otherwise.”

Iris blinked, surprised.

“You…protected me?”

The other woman sighed, tilting her head back as if exasperated. She tossed the tattered bag towards Iris, who glanced at it in slight irritation. She’d have to make it work. She crouched back down to roll up her small sleeping arrangement and stuff it into the bag. She’d have to cross her fingers nothing would fall out.

“Do you usually wait around in predator infested woods hoping for some dashing hero to drop by on his white horse?” she asked, scathingly sarcastic. Unnecessarily so, as far as Iris was concerned. She hadn’t exactly asked to be ‘saved’.

“Not usually, no. But then I don’t really need some dashing hero. I can handle myself just fine,” Iris grunted, balling up her bag as best she could and wrapping the strap around it. It’d do for now.

The woman turned towards Iris then, silent. Judging, almost.

“I don’t see a weapon on you. Or a staff for that matter. What, are you a Valkyrie?” she asked, looking over Iris with those piercing green eyes. It sent a shiver up her spine, and she wasn’t entirely sure if that was a good or bad thing.

“Yeah. Don’t need a weapon,” Iris replied. Examining the other woman in turn, it seemed Iris wasn’t the only Valkyrie around. Though their fighting styles were certainly different. Where Iris relied on her bare hands and powerful kicks, the other woman held a heavy looking spear to her back. Honestly it looked nearly as ridiculous as Gladiolus’ great sword. If not for the industrial armor, Iris would’ve guessed the woman was an Amazon from the amount of strength wielding a spear like that must have required.

“Hm.” That was it. No questions about what Iris was doing, why she was out there… It was a little strange honestly.

“So what’s your name kid?” the woman asked instead. Despite doing so, she had already turned away and had hopped down off of the raised platform of rock, clearly expecting Iris to follow. Iris bristled a bit at being called a kid, but ultimately decided not to let it get to her. She wasn’t that baby-faced shorty with the skinny ankles and chubby cheeks anymore. She looked in the mirror and saw a woman now. She had no reason to be insecure in her maturity, so there was no reason to lose her cool at one rude comment.

“Isn’t it more proper to give your name first before asking for mine?” she retorted instead. The lancer stopped in her tracks for a moment. Iris paused as well, unsure of what to expect from this total stranger. However, the woman only snorted before continuing.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right. Name’s Aranea.”

Aranea turned slightly and Iris could make out the smallest of grins beneath her helmet.

“Iris.”

“Heh. You’re parents named you after a flower? Clearly they had high hopes for you.”

The snark was once again uncalled for, but Iris was starting to suspect this was Aranea’s natural state of being at this point. She had no proof otherwise thus far.

“They named my brother after a flower too. But you wouldn’t guess that just by looking at him,” Iris shrugged. This earned another small chuckle out of the lancer. Iris tried not to pay too much attention to the tiny flicker of satisfaction at the sound. Not for someone she just met.

“I’ll believe it. You can’t be that delicate of a flower if you’re hoofing it out here barehanded, though.” Aranea turned her head slightly to face Iris. “What’s that all about?”

There it was. Iris was starting to wonder when or if she’d finally ask. Most didn’t take twenty-somethings camping out in the woods with nothing but a bed roll and a bag at face value after all.

“I’m on a job.”

“On a j—You’re a Chroma?” Aranea asked, eyes wide. She didn’t seem so much surprised as intrigued. It occurred to Iris then that perhaps Aranea had already guessed at what sort of work she did and why she was out there anyway. It seemed the armored woman wanted her thoughts confirmed more than anything.

“You guessed it. What tipped you off?” Iris smiled cheekily. She wasn’t above playing that game, after all.

Aranea didn’t seem to mind, judging by her amused smirk.

“Well I doubt you’re hunting game for dinner in that getup. Now the question is…what are you hunting?”

Back to being intrigued. But Iris wasn’t handing over all her “secrets” without a price.

“Ah ah ah. You ask a question, I ask a question. Since you already know I’m a Chroma, I wanna know what you do,” Iris teased. Another chuckle was earned and that sense of satisfaction raced up her spine once again. Iris suppressed the resulting shiver, feeling a little put out with herself. She’d learned the hard way why letting pretty ladies distract her never worked out well.

“I don’t remember establishing that rule.” Though Aranea didn’t seem to mind it much as she continued. “I’m more freelance. Same kind of work as Chromas, just less… _organized_. More profit that way.”

Iris frowned slightly as a thought crossed her mind at the admittance to higher profit.

“You’re not an Oxide are you?”

Aranea snorted derisively.

“Ugh, no kid. I don’t mooch off of other people’s hard work. Besides, that’d take the fun out of everything.”

“I guess that’s good enough reason,” Iris responded, eyebrows raised at the slight outburst. It seemed Aranea wasn’t exactly fond of Chroma Oxides. Not like many people were, though. “I’m not a kid by the way.”

She also couldn’t help but let that slip.

“Right… Well Ms. _Grown Up_ , I guess that means it’s my turn now. Same question as before.”

Iris winced a bit at the title, though she supposed she was asking for it. Most adults didn’t exactly have to prove their adulthood, and the quickest way to exposing their own immaturity was to insist otherwise. She had to let that slide off her back.

“Not sure why it matters to you, but I’m hunting down a wraith,” she answered, attempting to appear nonchalant. It was still sensitive information though, and as intriguing as Aranea was, she was still a stranger. Not exactly trustworthy. Iris internally cringed, hoping that allowing that detail to slip wouldn’t backfire on her.

“A wraith? You’re serious?” Aranea looked Iris up and down once again. This time the feeling it left Iris with was decidedly uncomfortable. Like she was being judged again…and deemed unworthy. “You look like a city kid. What, are you Monetopian? The hell makes you think you can take on a wraith?”

“What makes you think I can’t?” Iris shot back, brow furrowed.

“Look, I’ve seen a wraith before. You don’t mess with those things. And they definitely aren’t to be taken lightly, let alone by yourself.” Aranea stopped and turned on her heel, leaning forward and getting right into Iris’ face. “Do yourself a favor. Go back home and find an easier job.”

“No.”

Aranea scoffed. “What, do you have water in your ears? I’m serious here.”

Iris stood her ground. “And so am I.”

The other woman clearly didn’t understand, Iris figured. She wasn’t ignorant; she knew exactly what sort of situation she was getting herself into. No, wraiths weren’t to be taken lightly. There have been entire teams put out of commission by those things. But that was more than enough reason for Iris to do her part in eradicating them. Whether it was by herself or with her family, she knew she was going to take this job. And she was going to follow through on it.

Besides, there was far worse out there. Iris counted herself lucky it was just a wraith.

“Look, I appreciate the concern, but I took this job and I’m going to complete it. I know the risks. But the reward is worth it.”

“The reward? Some money to send to your family so they can fund your funeral?” Aranea snorted, rolling her eyes beneath her helmet.

“One less wraith to worry about,” Iris replied. Aranea was silent for a moment.

“You’re really serious about this?” she asked, the snarky tone gone for once.

“Completely.”

Finally Aranea stood straight again, sighing quietly. Iris felt her shoulders relaxing, not even having realized she’d tensed up in the first place.

“Alright then. I’ll go with you.”

**Author's Note:**

> This pairing is uncharted territory for me, but I’m far from opposed to trying new things. Constructive criticism is welcome; I aim to improve.


End file.
